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SDG 6: Clean Water

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
SDG Goal

SDG 6 aims to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Access to clean water and sanitation is a basic human right, yet billions of people still lack these essential services, leading to health issues and hindering economic development.

How engineering can make it happen

Civil and environmental engineers have saved millions of lives through clean water and sewage treatment systems, eradicating waterborne diseases like cholera and typhoid. Every day, electrical and mechanical engineers ensure reliable system operations. Innovations in water treatment and recycling ensure clean water for all, even in arid zones. Despite these advances, more than 1 billion people still lack access to clean water and 2 billion have no access to basic sanitation. Urgent action, including by engineers, is required to address this challenge.

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Film courtesy of the Royal Academy of Engineers

Global progress

  • While steady progress expanded access to drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene services between 2015 and 2024, billions remain underserved. In 2024, 2.2 billion people lacked safely managed drinking water, 3.4 billion went without safely managed sanitation and 1.7 billion lacked basic hygiene services at home. In schools, 646 million children remain without basic hygiene services, requiring a fourfold increase in progress to meet 2030 targets.
  • Water systems are under strain from pollution, water stress, and weak governance. Only 56% of domestic wastewater is safely treated, water stress remains critical in several regions, freshwater ecosystems are declining, and transboundary cooperation is limited. At the current rate, the world will not achieve sustainable water management until at least 2049.
  • Achieving Goal 6 requires mobilizing comprehensive financing mechanisms, leveraging innovative technologies, strengthening institutional capacity, fostering multi-stakeholder partnerships, and integrating water management across all sectors and governance levels.

Source: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2025/

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